Don't Want To Forget You Again
by Blase Contradiction
Summary: On her first mission, Mikan Sakura goes missing, killed by her mother.But when she returns unharmed,she turns up as the one thing 'he' never wanted...with all her memories gone! Will she want them back after her discovery? My Sequel is upp! R&R!
1. Chapter 1:Persona's Malice

**Chapter 1: Persona's Malice**

**Natsume P.O.V. **

I couldn't bear to see her being used like this. Mikan Sakura: klutz, a baka, Polka dots and the one person that could make me smile. The one girl I fell for. Sometimes, it makes me surprised. Three years since she first came and from those three years, I have changed.

My once cold and aloof nature that was only reflected in my crimson eyes was now warmer, friendlier and, there was no other way to describe it, loving. I fell for the girl that few people (mainly those annoying fan girls) had distaste for. Who saw it coming?

Certainly not her although she was the cause for all this change. No one could deny she was kind, caring and heart-warming but she was the densest person anyone could ever hope to meet.

But what Persona wanted her to do for him was beyond what _I_ wanted for her. "My dear, Mikan, you understand why I ask Natsume here, don't you?" he asked, his voice filled with gloating malevolence. She nodded, her eyes registering fear and defiance.

"You always call on him for missions he doesn't want," she answered. Her elbow-length hair wavered slightly.

"Do you know why he always does these dangerous missions?" Persona pushed on. Mikan, don't answer, I begged mentally. "Tell me, Sakura. Do you understand why he does all these things?"

"So that neither me nor the others will be involved in those missions to make up for what Natsume can fulfil," she answered. Her voice was forced; I could feel it and it was tearing my heart apart.

"Exactly," Persona said. His smirk grew wider. "And Mikan, after all these years, what have you been doing with Serina, Noda, Narumi, Jinno, Misaki and myself?"

"Training."

"Exactly. And why?"

"Wait! I didn't know anything about this training!" I yelled. I moved to separate those two but Mikan grabbed my arm. She was muscular and strong. She pushed me back.

"Stay out of this," she said quietly.

"Yes, Natsume, stay out of this," mimicked Persona. His smirk was now a grin of malice. He turned to Mikan. "And are you going to use your training to do the same thing?"

Natsume was stricken. Please, he begged mentally, don't do it.

"Yes," she said almost silently, her auburn bangs covering her swirling brown orbs that were beginning to fill with tears, "I'm doing it."


	2. Chapter 2:Mikan's Disaster

Chapter 2: Mikan's Disaster

Normal P.O.V.

She donned her mask. Its carvings and markings were identical to Natsume's cat but in contrast to the black of Natsume's mask, hers was white. It was dotted with other markings; markings Narumi or Otou-san as she called him when no one else was around, said were to be of ancient power. Hopefully, some of that ancient power would rub off on her.

"Get in, gather the data, get out and back," were Persona's orders. She had listened but her heart was drifting somewhere between infinity and whim. Natsume had run out of the room the instant she said yes. She sent him a note telling him the time of the mission. When she stuck the note on his door, she felt a pang of guilt.

The only reason, she remembered, I even considered doing these missions was because I'm tired of watching Natsume suffer. I want to feel his pain. But can I really share it?

Nine o'clock. It was all too soon. Would she live or die? She didn't know but she wanted him to know. The one thing that should have been the last thing on her mind throbbed like crazy. She couldn't say no. She had fall completely head over heels for the flame caster. She didn't know when but she knew that if she died before he realized it, she would never forgive herself for waiting so long before telling him.

"Early, Sakura?" a voice hissed. Persona, black cloak and white mask, stepped from the gate's shadow. She turned. In the event that she was seriously intent on going on missions, they had trained her like they would any other boy. And boy was the training harsh. "This is a side of you I've never seen. Mikan Sakura: early. Hmm….sounds wrong for some reason."

"Shut up, Persona," she snapped. "You have me in this game of yours so just keep your trap shut and we'll get along just fine."

The teacher sneered at her and turned to another shadow shuffling towards them. The Black Cat in a demure state. Mikan nearly tore her eyes out. Nothing hurt her more than seeing Natsume back in his old state.

"Late, Natsume? And you were on such a streak," Persona smirked. He handed Mikan a map. "Follow this and find what I asked for yesterday." Mikan nodded, her chocolate orbs that were beginning to fill with guilty tears concealed by her white feline mask.

Both teenagers sprung into the night. When they reached the AAO headquarters, Mikan turned to Natsume.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly.

Hands in his pockets, he didn't look at her. His heart was breaking with every step she took with him. "Baka," he said. That was all it took. Mikan was sure, that she had broken his heart.

"I'm still doing this," she said. He shrugged. That was Natsume but not the Natsume that knew her like the back of his hand. This was the Natsume that wanted nothing but to get life on and just die quietly.

In front of the twin cats, a fairly large building, one that looked as though it was used as a factory. It sat on a cliff overlooking the vast ocean. Natsume sucked in his breath. This was it; the moment of truth. If Mikan was going to do this, she might as well die today. Better than suffer for years. The silent war of the Alices was taking its toll…especially on the students who deserved a life of which they chose.

A twig snapped.

"They're here," Natsume whispered. "I have a question, before all this starts." She nodded slowly, readying herself in an ancient Chinese fighting stance. "Why did you decide to follow Persona?"

"For reasons you'll soon know," she whispered, only he could hear. They attacked. Men in black suits jumped from the surroundings, their hands devoid of weapons. But what man would need weapons when they had supernatural powers?

Only eight of them. But their Alices were deadly: water, fire, air, earth, lightning, spirit, ice and lava. All were dangerous but none could defend themselves against Mikan's nullifying Alice. As they used their Alice against her, the powers merely reflected off the barrier she created. When she got to them, she would use her karate skills and one by one, the ugly sound of bones cracking was heard. Mikan made sure that the most secret aspect of her Alice, Alice copying, was in use. Before all were killed, she had copied all eight Alice.

Mikan was barely panting. She was surprised at herself. Stamina. An important aspect as Persona had explained.

"Tired?" asked Mikan.

"Baka…" he murmured.

She closed her eyes and breathed in deeply. "Let's just finish this mission." Natsume grunted and they entered the building through the windows. She tossed him a rope. "I don't care what Persona says. We're not risking our necks. We do this the old fashion way."

"Hn," Natsume grunted yet again. Mikan tied the rope around her slender waist. Below the window was a computer, twice the size of a normal computer. "Take the thumb-drive Persona gave me. Get the data and get out. Motion censors are fixed onto the floor. Anything of more than the weight of an insect will set the censors off."

"Just hold onto the rope."

Slowly, Natsume lowered Mikan right in front of the computer. Using the skills Jinno-sensei had taught her, she quickly broke the password, cracked the firewalls and found the fills it was searching for.

Mikan's P.O.V.

"A thief? I never thought you as a thief, Sakura," a voice said. I looked up into the shadows. Rio and that person. I never thought I would see the day I would meet her: my mother, the co-head of AAO. I nearly cried out in frustration.

"I don't care for the likes of you," Mikan hissed. The files were almost complete…she couldn't let this almost success be destroyed!

Done! The files were transferred. She grabbed the thumb-drive and turned to Natsume. His eyes were so worried! "Natsume! Hurry!" I yelled.

"You're not the only one with Alice, my girl," Rio said. The thumb-drive was no longer in my hand. I knew the fruits of my labour would be rewarded. "Drop her, Natsume. She lied to you."

I saw Natsume succumb to Rio's Voice Alice. He released the rope and I dropped to the ground. "Throw her into the ocean…she deserves it…"

Natsume, a robot controlled by the likes of Rio, dropped to the floor and the next thing I knew…I was hanging over the ocean….

"Please, Natsume," I whispered.

He wavered. He couldn't. He dropped me onto the ground. I breathed hard.

"Mikan…I'm sorry…" he whispered.

"Lovebirds make me sick," a female voice said.

Normal P.O.V.

Mikan turned to see her mother strolling to them. "Daughter, know what is my favourite Alice?" Mikan didn't answer. "Silent? Well, I'll tell you…Shadow Manipulation. I can do this." Mikan's foot moved closer to the cliff.

"Mikan, no!" Natsume cried out.

"Goodbye, Mikan," sneered her mother. Using her stolen Shadow Manipulation Alice, she made Mikan do the one thing Mikan dreaded. The infamous Black Cat, known to never cry, was wailing as he watched Mikan's form spread her arms out and fall prey to the deep oceans' trap.

She was gone and he was alone. What else could go wrong? "Be safe," he heard. More than a thought, less than a whisper, emanating from Mikan's mouth. Her last words to him. Then, Mikan's mother and Rio disappeared from sight, replaced by Persona. Mikan had used her teleportation Alice to return him to where they had started. Alone…without Mikan…

**A/N: HELOO!!! Okay...dis is my first author's note in my first fic!!! SO PLEASE GIMME AT LEAST ONE review and have fun...everything is welcome...flames...tidal waves...thank yous and what nots...**


	3. Chapter 3:Returning Alone

**Heloo!!! Here is Chapter 3!! OKay...i'll probably unpload chapter 5 next week cos i have chapter 4 on standby...hmm...what will happen to Mikan??? And will Natsume stay an empty noggin???? And...wat will happen between RxH???????? anything can happen...it was so hard to write this chappy...so much...sob...**

**Chapter 3: Returning Alone**

**Normal P.O.V.**

"Hyuuga? Alone?" Persona questioned. Natsume removed his mask. Only his bangs hid what he felt inside. He tossed the thumb-drive to Persona and disappeared into the gates of the Academy.

Natsume tried as hard as his heart would let him to hold back the tears. The Cherry-Blossom tree's many pink flowers, frothy pink to dark scarlet, billowed lightly in the wind. So many nights, during which she couldn't sleep, she spent with him there, talking about all the subjects under the sun…even if he never listened to what she chattered on about.

"Natsume," a dull voice said, startling him out of his sorrowful reverie. He turned to see violet-eyed Hotaru Imai looking at him with curious eyes. "Where's Mikan?"

That name again. "Like I would know where that baka is," he snapped.

"Yeah, you'd know," she retorted. "I looked for her in her room but she wasn't there. I figured she would be with you under that Sakura Tree. But you guys weren't there. Then I saw you standing here like a moron. So, where is she?"

"I don't know!" he answered. He was half-lying and half-telling the truth. He knew where Mikan was and yet he didn't know. Turning on his heel, he ran onwards to his dorm. Nothing seemed real anymore.

Mikan was gone, vanished from their lives when she had just appeared from the bowels of happiness. No matter how annoying her voice had been, he had always looked forward to seeing her. No matter how much it pained to see her cry after he insulted her, he never stopped loving her. Wait…what was that he thought?

Love? He _loved_ Mikan Sakura? Annoying, chatterbox and hyper Mikan? Miss Mikan-always-thinking-about-food-Sakura? No chance…no way….

Then that tune he heard recently in Central Town played in his head. The insert song from the Disney movie Hercules: I Won't Say I'm In Love.

_No chance, no way, I won't say it, no no,_

_Give up; give in shake the grin you're in love_

_The scene won't play: 'I won't say I'm in love'_

No…it couldn't be…he couldn't have been that oblivious to his own feelings…it just wasn't possible. But…it was true. He couldn't deny it. He didn't just fall in love with Mikan Sakura, oh no, he had fallen head over heels, rolled down a mountain and jumped with joy for Mikan Sakura. But what he felt no longer mattered. She was gone and he had wasted three years of what they had. He fell to his knees and sobbed, the Sakura tree giving little shelter from the rain that began to fall. "Baka," he muttered mournfully.

**Meanwhile…..**

_Where the heck am I?_

A brunette lifted her head. It felt dizzying and throbbed with pain_. Oh, must be dead after getting thrown off that cliff. Natsume…I'm so sorry…_

"Awake?" a voice asked.

Mikan's brown head turned to meet her mother's cold blue gaze. Nothing was given away in those pools of ice. That was all it was…ice. "You," Mikan sneered. She struggled to find herself captive within bonds of rope. "How did you use your Shadow Manipulation Alice on me? I would have nullified it."

"Still so naïve?" he mother sneered. "I too have a Nullifying Alice. So, I simply nullified _your _Nullifying Alice and use my Alice on you…"

"You! You! You….bastard!"

"I know, I am," she said tauntingly. "But in a moment, you won't remember anything of my plans, the Academy and your hatred for the AAO. You'll be working for me. Got it?"

"What on earth is going inside your head? I think you hit your head somewhere. The only way I would do that is if…"

"Your memories were taken away?" she completed. She kneeled down so that their eyes met. She peeled a vial of clear liquid from her jeans pocket. Mikan's hands, still defiant to the bindings, struggled with all their strength. Cupping Mikan's chin in her icy hands and pulling her nearer, she uncorked the vial and dumped it contents into Mikan's mouth. Drowsiness clasped Mikan and willed her to torpor. "My name is Kaiyo Aori and I am your master…" That was the last Mikan heard before she forgot everything, including her beloved Black Cat.

**In the Academy**

Narumi stood in front of the class. His head hung low, his violet eyes reflecting a sadness no one had seen since the day Rio had taken control of Ruka (Second last episode of the anime). "C-Class," he said, choking on every word, 'I have an announcement to make."

Natsume recognized a sad voice coming from the front. Maybe, just maybe, this might actually interest him and take his mind off a certain someone. "As you know, Miss Sakura is absent from class today. But, we, the staff have come to stop at least one of our lies and tell you the reason.

His crimson eyes widened in a mixture fury and sorrow. He abruptly rose and left the room, gesturing for Ruka not to follow. He could listen to this tale all over again. He was sure that if he did, is heart was going to break.

Meanwhile, in the class room, the entire faculty entered class 3B. All the adults head hung low and Serina-sensei was sobbing. "I would like Imai-san to leave the class with Misaki-sensei for some…privacy."

The confused inventor followed the herbology teacher outside and soon, a choked scream erupted from the outside. Narumi-sensei turned back to the class. "While Imai-san deals with…a problem, I am here to tell you the truth." The whole class seemed to lean forward in anticipation.

"Sakura-san was, as you know, an exceptional student and well, we all saw that," he began. _Why does this sound like a funeral speech_, thought Ruka. He stopped petting his pet rabbit. "Well, unfortunately, the AAO also saw her powers as they grew and they thought it was…useful. But in an act of resistance and pure bravery, Sakura-san stopped them before they kidnapped her and retrieved some very valuable data. However in the process…she…" He stopped. He could go on no longer continue. Serina-sensei comforted him.

Kokoroyomi or Koko as his friends called him, read his thought using his Alice. The revelation was shocking. "Koko, please finish," Narumi-sensei said quietly, his sobs cutting in.

"M-Mikan…is…." Koko stuttered.

"Koko! Spit it out!" yelled Ruka.

"Mikan is dead!"

Silence reigned. No one could think or speak. Mikan Sakura, nullifier and all-time ray of sunshine, was gone from their world, never to return.

"The memorial is on Thursday and if some of you like, you may prepare a speech," Jinno-sensei finished. They finished and left the room in a sobbing heap. The tension in the room was cut by a huge sob.

"Mikan," Ruka stammered through his crying sobs.

Under the Sakura Tree, Natsume contemplated his thoughts. "Why didn't you protect her?" a cracking voice asked. He looked up and found himself staring at Hotaru Imai's red, puffy eyes. "Why didn't you protect Mikan from Kayo Aori?!! She was your partner, your friends and the one person who truly loved you!"

Her words knocked the wind out of him. She _loved_ him? She had returned his feelings without telling him? The baka! His bangs hid his crimson twins. Slow drizzles started. They mixed with his tears. He stood to leave. Hotaru threw herself at him. She began to punch his hard-as-a-wall chest. He remembered that Mikan had done the same thing.

**-FLASHBACK-**

_Making my way down downtown,_

_Walking fast, faces passed and I'm homebound_

_Staring blankly ahead, just making my way,_

_Making my way, through the crowd. _

Mikan danced with Natsume. It was her second Last Dance and she loved every moment of it. He gazed into her wandering brown eyes and wondered how he ever agreed to this. But it amazed him all the same.

_If I could fall, into the sky,_

_Do you think time, would pass me by?_

'_Cos you know I'd walk a thousand miles,_

_If I could just see you, if I could just hold you,_

_Tonight…_

They sat under the Sakura Tree, savouring the last hours of the last day of the Alice Festival. "Hey, Natsume? Can I ask you a question?"

"Already did, Polkadots," he said. She pouted, not seeing the smirk that played on his lips.

"What would you do if someone told you they loved you?"

"Why would you care?"

"Just wondering. So? What would you do?"

"None of your business."

"Natsume, do you like me?"

"Why would I like someone as ugly as you?"

Tears filled in her eyes. She rose and started to punch him in the chest for no apparent reason. "You jerk! Damn you!" she practically screamed. "I… can't… believe… I… fell… for… you…." she whispered so that even Natsume couldn't hear her.

She rose, gathered her skirts in her hands and ran to fins solace. He watched her retreating figure with anguish.

**-End of Flashback-**

"I couldn't because…I was…too weak… I wasn't strong enough…" he whispered. "She didn't deserve what I could give her: a disaster of a life."

"So you let her die…" Hotaru whispered. She slapped him and hurried into the arms of Ruka, not caring who comforted her as long as she would forget what she felt. Cries of anguish erupted all around the school.

Tsubasa-sempai and Misaki-sempai mourned for the loss of their cheerful little kohai. Class 3B was dissolved in tears and Narumi-sensei was inconsolable. So much sadness wafted through the Academy.

Soon, Thursday rolled around and all were dressed in black. Student after student, whether it be Middle School students or the High School division, they all gave their speeches for their loss. Even Sono Kaname, the High School student who had made all those soft toys came to give his condolences.

As a tribute to Mikan, the principals arranged for a special arrow-shooting ceremony. Every person who bought an arrow would tie a memory of Mikan to the shaft and shoot it. Then, when all had been shot, they arranged for Natsume to burn the flying arrows.

He sent his own up, to his beloved. Tied to it, was a Sakura flower.

**A/N:hey...like i said...so much crying...so much sorrow...so much sobbing and poor Natsume and Hotaru...with chppy 4 on standby...all you have to do is wait...then...there's five...what do I name it????? Anywayz...remember...give ol' sammy plenty of reviews...thank you!!!!!**


	4. Chapter 4:Retibution

**OKAY!!!! I FINALLY UPLOADED!!!!sorry it took sooooo long... my dad took away my keyboard and i kept typing the same story in three different coms. Geez! the first computer wouldnt let me upload it, the second was in my mom's laptop ut when i tried to save it, the computer chose that moment to go out of whack and when i uploaded it, the WHOLE THING GOT DELETED!!!! anyway, this chappy, (warning:spoiler) we find out who this new agent is and of course it is so obvious! there's a lot of Natsume thinking about his mistake and well...it just breaks ma lil heart... n den...we wait for chapter 5!! haven got idea yet...so plz...if you can...send me anything you wanna see happen to these two!!!!! BYEEEE!!! HAVE FUN!! (for continuation of sammy's crazy talk...scroll down to author's note... **

**Chapter 4: Retribution**

Moonlight echoed the single silhouette of a creature. It wasn't completely human but it wasn't an animal. It features resembled those of a feline but its characteristics were certainly that of a human. The Black Cat was still in business.

Natsume Hyuuga, now four years older and still hurting, sprang into action, throwing his flames at those who dared appose him. Mikan's murder and funeral had set him back seven years on his old ways: moping around, fighting dangerous missions and skipping classes. He had one mission tonight: get into AAO headquarters, retrieve information on the newest AAO member and get out.

His mind dived into the vault of memories as he entered the premises. As for Hotaru, she had dwindled back into the hermit shell she had abandoned when Mikan arrived at the Academy.

Strangely enough, much to the surprise of Natsume and the other students, she had managed to capture the heart of his best friend and ever-lovable Ruka Nogi. It was annoyingly ironic.

In the past, an even still in the present, she had made it her second nature to blackmail Ruka every second in the day. But for some reason, the cold inventor and the warm animal-lover were a contrast and complemented each other perfectly.

Natsume still had those annoying unspoken words ringing in his cranium. Oh, how he longed to voice them out!

_Bang! _

A gunshot nearly wounded him! _Pay attention…you…you…ba…ka…_

It was even hard to say Baka anymore. Her nickname caused more pain than a bullet would. Lady Fate had decided to be cruel and had snatched him nullifier from under his nose. He would never forget her but would he move on with his life?

Those three words! Those blasted eight letters had tormented him for four years and never did he have the guts to say them while she still lived. Several Alice users had already jumped from the bushes. Natsume just sighed and went back to his work. _Back to basics, huh?_

All the Alices, four of lighting and three of lava, whipped and lashed out at him. He easily sidestepped the attacks and launched his own flames at them. He fought until he was near enough. In a matter of moments, all the Alice users were unconscious, rendered paralyzed from Natsume's judo.

Hands in his pockets, Natsume strolled into the AAO facility. If he remembered the map Persona had given him correctly, the room where they kept the files were on the second floor. Using his special skills as an expert spy, he made his way to the filing room.

When he entered the room, he was surrounded by icy metal. Everywhere, the walls, the ceiling, the desks, the cabinets and the lamps, were plated metal. On the table, a single ebony file sat, silver words etched on the front. It read:

**File X: Agent Guardian**

He grabbed the file and stuck it under his arm. The door opened and Rio, followed by Mikan's murderer, walked in.

"Well, well, if it isn't the Black Cat," said Rio. "Aren't we lucky, Aori?"

"Immensely," she replied in a bored tone. "Maybe he should meet our new friend, Agent Guardian?"

"No thanks," the flame caster said. He leaped through a window, shattering the glass. He disappeared into the night.

"Aw, he didn't want to meet her, now did he?" asked Rio.

"No he didn't," another voice came.

"You're here, Guardian," Aori said.

The slim figure behind her removed a dark mask. "Well, Mikan, I guess you'll meet him soon. Do you remember him?"

"Why would I?"

"Oh right," Aori said, realizing her mistake. "Just kidding."

**Back at the Academy…**

Natsume walked through the gates of the Academy. Persona waited at the Sakura Tree. He tossed the file to Persona. "Your data," he said blankly. He loathed this man. Although not directly, this man had a hand in Mikan's downfall. He would never forgive him for that. He had sent her on a mission she should never had to go for and when she died, all he had done was shrug and left it at that. What roasting him alive would feel like.

"You haven't been the same since Sakura left," Persona taunted. He really wanted to die. "Returning to your shell I see. Imai has done the same. Poor Mikan. If she saw her friends like this, her little heart would…" He never finished his sentence.

Natsume's enflamed hand held him by the neck. "Don't you ever say her name," he snarled. "You don't have the right." He released the teacher's throat. He turned and strolled back to his dorm.

He would never forget her, never. He didn't realize that a single dark figure was watching his every move.

Dawn light streamed into his room. Natsume awoke to find frozen tears on his cheeks. That blasted dream again! In his dream, he finally found Mikan, his Mikan, in his arms where she belonged. Four years had made her into a beautiful girl. When she lifted her head to speak, the same words flew out of her mouth. They shattered his heart. "Who are you?"

It pained him to even think that Mikan would forget her friends…forget the Academy…forget him. No. Mikan would die before she would. But she was dead.

He got dressed. Still the same song played in his mind.

'Cos you know I'd walk a thousand miles,

If I could just see you, tonight…

It hurt him to think of that Last Dance…the last time he had seen Mikan that happy in his arms. But that was in the past and it would stay in the past. He had to move on!

Breakfast tasted the same as it had tasted for the past four years. Across from him, Ruka and Hotaru quietly ate their meal. Silence. The one thing that had stayed the same. The longer since Mikan's death, the quieter it got.

On the table, a bouquet of Sakura flowers sat, its listless and light petals swaying in the wind from outside the Academy. "A romantic, Ruka?" asked Natsume.

Hotaru looked at him with pure venom. "Looked at a mirror lately, dimwit?" she snapped. Her distaste for him had grown since that unfortunate day.

"May 29th" explained Ruka. Everything came to Natsume, smacking him in the face. May 29th: the day Mikan left them forever.

Natsume left abruptly and walked to the Sakura Tree. How could he have forgotten? She was more important to him than anything in the world. Skipping all his classes, he just sat under the tree and pondered

Night quietly came and engulfed the Academy. Natsume finally decided to return to his room. He strolled to the special star dorms, hands in his pockets as usual.

Soon after he stepped onto the path, he sensed another presence. "How long have you been there?" he asked, quietly.

"Long enough," a female voice answered. A fleeting shadow jumped from the nearby trees and he found himself restrained. "I can't believe my first mission in four years was so dull. I followed you around for one and a half days and you notice me only now. Natsume, I'm hurt."

"Who are you?"

Agent Guardian, at your service," she replied.

"Hn," he grunted. "AAO's newest lapdog. I'm not surprised."

"You stole my file. I have to get revenge somehow."

He felt the mouth of a gun poke his back. He tried to use his Alice but no flames came from the tips of his fingers. "Sorry, you think I'd at least come prepared. See this necklace here? It contains a millilitre of your girlfriend's blood. Nullifying blood." That did it.

Hard as he could, he pushed himself free from her grip and turned to face her. He saw a black masked face. "You sick…"

"Calling girls names? What did they teach you here?"

He saw she was only about seventeen. Pounding footsteps echoed in the silence. Teachers had found them. She pouted. "We'll finish this tango some other time. Ciao!" She turned to leap back into the darkness.

"Wait!" he yelled. She stopped and briefly turned. "Why did you join the AAO? What would you gain?"

Her eyes through the mask holes were slits of fury. "Retribution," she whispered. The wind blew and she vanished. Jinno and Narumi were instantly behind him.

"Hyyuga!" barked Jinno. "What happened?"

The flame caster felt faint. Something about that girl was mesmerising and yet incredibly irritable. The last thing he saw before passing out was the overturned road.

_Slap!_

Mikan Sakura sprawled across the floor, a red welt glowing on her cheek. Kayo Aori's hand was held in midair after delivering the blow to her daughter's cheek. "Your first mission, simple at the most, in four years, and you screw it up!" she yelled. "With any luck, they'll just think that Hyyuga was hallucinating and just imagined AAO's new agent attacking him! But why wouldn't they believe him? He's the only thing stopping our silent war from completely breaking lose!"

"I'm sorry," Mikan whispered.

"Sorry is not going to fix this mess now is it?" snapped Aori. "Nevermind that for now. You go to the Training Room and start rifle practicing. I'll try and figure out howmake your trail vanish."

Mikan got up and bowed ninja-style. She exited the briefing room. As she passed the Hall of Enemies her mother had dreamed up, her eye caught sight of a head of raven hair and blood eyes ahead in the hall. _Natsume Hyuuga, you'll pay for what you've done._

As Mikan passed the portrait, it burst into flames. The hot tongues began licking away the Black Cat's canvas face.

A white-washed ceiling greeted him. Natsume awoke to find Ruka sitting beside him. When his best friend saw he was conscious, he jumped up. "Natsume! You're finally awake!"

"Ruka," the flame caster grunted. "What happened?"

"You passed out," explained Ruka. "They said before you passed out, they heard you whispering something about an Agent Guardian had attacked you. Next to you, they found a barrette with a strand of DNA on it. They sent it to the labs for DNA testing."

"Hn." He sank into his pillow.

The door opened and a sobbing Hotaru rushed in. her puffy red eyes revealed how much she had been crying. Her older brother, Subaru-san, entered after her. His hands were shaking and his face was white as a sheet of paper.

"The DNA results came back," he said. He raised the file. "The results say that this Agent Guardian had over a hundred different types of Alice." Natsume and Ruka's eyes widened. "And the results also say that the agent was from the Academy."

"Who was it?" pressed Natsume.

He stood and stared at the Healer. "Who is this nut-job that decided to join the AAO's circus?"

Subaru sighed. "The results came out as a positive match to…."

"Spit it out, Imai!"

"…Mikan Sakura."

Natsume swore he passed out on the spot.

**A/N: I'm baaackkK!!! okay...so i have miidterms on wednesday so wish me luck!!!! i really dun wanna sit for it. PS!! i'm going to Beijing on friday so it will take some time to upload chappy five... i am a very slooooooowww writer...so plz be patient and you will be rewarded with Mikan's and Natsume's bitter reunion!!!! I CANT BELIEVE I CAME UP WITH THE IDEA ALL BY MY SELF!!!! SO COOL MAN!!! OK SO CHAPPY FIVE: Bitter Reunion (I told you it was a bitter reunion! hehe)**


	5. Chapter 5:Bitter Reunion

**HELOO!!! i have uploaded Chapter 5!!! YAY!!!! i now have to write chapter 6...you can expect this to be a very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very looooooooooooooooooooooonnnnggggggg...incredibly, intangibly, enormously, infinitely, do darn sweet loooooooong story...geezz...that was hard... anywayz...in this chapter...we meet...(drumroll...)...Miss Sakura Sakamoto!!!! she is...odd... and resembles a certain brunette... okay...so since i have a lot of time but no com, you will see i will upload at least siz chapters at a time...muahahahaha!!! arent u so lucky??? okay so...i dedicate this whole story to:**

**Shironeko-pyon: the first author i** **ever read from**

**crazygirl18:who made me cry with her beautiful words**

**littledoggy:who created an unbelievebly enchanting romance **

**DearJulie:who inspired me **

**and if you have finished reading that...we return to the Heart-Breaking life of the Alice Academy students...(hahahahaha...i feeel so tingly in side...)**

**Chapter 5: Bitter Reunion**

That had to be a lie!

Natsume walked on the brick road, not knowing where he went. Yesterday, was truthfully the most hellish day he had to endure. How could Mikan, Mikan Sakura of all people, be an assassin? It was like saying that Natsume Hyuuga frolicked in the daisies for fun! It wasn't possible.

Still, a voice nagged at him, telling him it was all very possible. But Subaru-sensei had confirmed that the DNA test results were inconclusive. The DNA had been drastically altered due to the amount of Alices in a single organism. All together, the DNA most likely pointed to several people whose DNA had mingled with the unknown original.

Among them, was, of course, Mikan, to their surprise, Subaru himself, a graduated high school student with the Alice of Climate Control, a mind manipulation Alice, a Shadow Alice, a shape-shifting Alice, a Water Alice and a Teleportation Alice. And those several Alices were only amongst the few hundred others.

No. The assassin probably got to Mikan first. But how? She was dead and the Academy was nearly impenetrable. _Nearly_, his mind reminded. But what was done was done. She was dead and nothing could ever change that.

Just as he rounded the bend to a familiar path, he saw a girl about his own age, sitting under the Sakura Tree. She was slender and if you looked properly, you could see the invisible muscles that formed there. Her hair was the colour of mahogany with blonde highlights zig-zagging through the locks.

Her face was clearly remindful of another he once knew. But Mikan's face which was childish and full of cheerful innocence was practically invisible in this student's face. This girl had a face of lethal beauty. However, undoubtedly, Mikan's features shone through.

This girl, had cheekbones that hid the past from others, full pink lips that would never speak the secrets it knew and her eyes were so unlike Mikan's dirty orbs. They were a crystalline violet with shots of cool blue. Undeniably, this creature was a work of art with a sharp edge.

"Oi, what are you doing here?" he barked when he reached where she sat. The girl moved her head slightly to see who had called out to her. When she saw him, she merely flicked her eyes at him and returned to basking under the sun's rays. "Hey! Did you hear me? Or are you deaf?"

"One who does not know how to treat girls, is surely going to fail in life," she simply said. Her closed eyes did nothing to reveal the girl's consciousness.

"Hn," he grunted. She reminded him of Mikan too much that it hurt. She stood and dusted her short auburn skirt.

"Nice meeting you…" she said while walking away, and finished her sentence, "…Mr. Black Cat." She disappeared behind the nearby trees. Natsume instantly gasped awake. Since when did a new student know his identity? No one, that stayed in the Academy for less than a few hours would know who he was.

"Mikan?" he whispered.

--,--,--,--,--,--,--,--,--,--,--,--,

Class went on as usual: the students dully staring at the ceiling, Ruka and Natsume not paying attention to anything the teachers taught and Hotaru's silence. And Mikan's absence.

The door opened and Narumi-sensei walked in. He whispered silently to the teacher and the teacher left. He turned to the students, his smile not as bright as it once used to be. "Okay, everyone, we have a new student here today. She's from our sister school in Canada. Please welcome, Miss Sakura Sakamoto." And in walked the girl that Natsume had met the other day.

Her long hair was pulled up and held by a single chopstick. Her eyes glinted knowingly and as soon as the boys got a good look at her, a fan club was instituted there and then. She bowed and spoke in fluent Japanese.

"Ohaiyo, meena!" she greeted. "I'm Sakura Sakamoto. Nice to meet you all." But her eyes, although they seemed to be they seemed to be looking at the whole class, were trained on one person: Mr Natsume Hyuuga.

"Okay, Sakura-dono," said Mr. Narumi, "You'll be sitting next to Mr. Hyuuga seeing as to how Mr. Yuuka has transferred to the Parisian Academy branch." She gave him a little bob of the head and made her way down the aisle. As she passed the desks, the boys' eyes were focused on her, from the top of her head, down to her pointed boots. Black boots.

"Welcome, Sakura-san," greeted Ruka.

"Hello," she replied. "You must Nogi-kun. Natsume-kun here has told me all about you."

The animal-lover's eyes widened in surprise. "He has?"

Sakura, unbeknownst to Ruka, shot Natsume a look of venom. "Yes, of course he has. I met him yesterday under that charming little Sakura Tree." Ruka looked at Natsume with a knowing grin.

"He did, now did he?"

She smiled again and sat down. By then, Narumi-sensei had disappeared and Jinno-sensei had entered. "Okay, class. I hear we have a new student with us today. Sakamoto-san?"

"Hai!" she answered cheerfully. Cheerfulness Natsume had heard only from one person in his lifetime. "Here!"

"You remind me of...nevermind. Would you care to join us up here and show us what you can do?" he asked, the other students noticing the teacher's…uh…change of attitude.

Sakura nodded and headed up to the front. "Care to share your Alice with us?" asked Jinno-sensei, annoyance rising in his voice.

"I have the Alice of Mind Manipulation," she said.

_Mind manipulation. Mind manipulation…no…it couldn't be…_

"Interesting," mused Jinno-sensei. "What type are you in?"

"Dangerous Ability," she answered. One liners, all of them. Never an elaborate answer. Nothing to give herself away.

"Please demonstrate." She smirked and turned to the teacher. Natsume saw her amethyst eyes dull and determination seemed to posses her. Jinno lifted his arm and his wand let out a burst of electricity that shocked Mochu. The whole class broke into laughter. "Imprssive, Sakamoto-dono. Please take your seat."

The lesson went on. Throughout the whole class, Sakura showed how much of genius she was and her every move, was recorded by Natsume.

--,--,--,--,--,--,--,--,--,--,--,--,--,--,--,--,

Night had eventually came and Sakura returned from the Staff room to which Jinno had dragged her to. The staff had plastered her with multiple control devices which consisted of special contact lenses, three pairs of amethyst earrings and a choker with a wing charm. She looked like a punk rocker.

"Ugh," she said. "Gaudy jewellery. She entered her room; a special star and no less. She went to her vanity desk and removed the contacts. She looked into the mirror, and slowly her appearance changed. Blonde highlights dispersed and amethyst eyes darkened. Mikan stared back. "I hate purple eyes."

Her mother, Kayo Aori had figured up the perfect plan. Enter the Academy as a student. The Academy and Natsume Hyuuga would tumble together. She had found solace under that Sakura Tree for some reason. It gave her the inspiration for her name. And her meeting with the Black Cat had started her on a plan of brining downfall.

A pain rang in her head. Another migraine. They came more often since she first fought that Cat. Ow! Nevermind them. A little painkillers and a little sleep and she would be alright. Right?

--,--,--,--,--,--,--,--,--,--,--,--,--,--,--,

He made up his mind. He remembered how she went bonkers over the Camellia flower he gave her for that one Christmas. Maybe, if she really was Mikan, she would do the same thing. Maybe…if she remembered….

_Argh! She wouldn't forget any of you! _his heart scolded. It's just not Mikan-like. He sat up in that Sakura Tree waiting for her arrival. Soon enough, she was there in moments, sitting and basking in the sun. He dropped the Camellia flower he held and disappeared from sight.

Sakura-san picked up the flower between her fingers. She looked at it as if remembering a memory. She sniffed the flower's intoxicating scent. "A Camellia flower…" she mused. Hope rose in Natsume's heart. Please…Please, Kami-sama!

But she pulled the flower away from her nose and threw it down, a small frown on her face. "…how very tacky." And she walked away. Natsume closed his eyes in sadness. Was he ever going to see his Mikan ever again?

**A/N: Betcha didnt see that one coming...okay...mayb you did...okay okay...i am very predictable...okey dokey i am coming beijing!!! Sayonara to Malaysia for now and good lord...welcome three chapters in a matter of...seven days...new record!!! WHOO!!!! okay...maybe not so... so if there are any friends in M'sia reading out there sms me! or if ur from wherever else...thats okay too...if you decide to waste money on me...hehehe...but no jokers out there...dun lie dun lie...its not nice...but wasnt this chappy fast? i finished it in one night and ma mama is scolding me cos i wont sleep...oh god! i have an exam tomolo!!! help!!! but i noe...i noe...of course mikan will get her memory back...but will she want to forget them all over again cos of what she did??? Ah!!! i dun noe!!! oh...a spoiler...she kills some1...oooooo...bb!!**

**Natsume:Hey! where's the number? **

**Me: well duh! i may be a lil crazy sometimes but i'm not an idiot, you baka! **

**Natsume:Watch it or i'll burn your hair!!! **

**P.S. let me tell you..natsume is a meanie...he bullies girls...and he is ala hentai!!! WAHAHAHAH!!**


	6. Chapter 6:I Never Felt Fun Until Now

**Hi guys!! I'm back from Beijing and might I add, i'm not a big fan of the cold and freezing... Ok...i have a confession...I...am...a...big...fat...liar... This story (after writing the WHOLE THING ON THE SIX HOUR PLANE RIDE) is not going to be very long...like I exaggerated in the chappy...actually...it might only last around 13 chappies...SO SORRY!!! i really want to make this story a bittersweet ending but...i sun noe what to do...help!! i have the middle and oddly...i put in an unusual intermission...wahhahahaha!!! sob i cant bear to see these two lovebirds being seperated...OMG!!! i lurv this story...its my baby...haha...juz kidding...okok...so...i talk lies but realy want to make u guys happy...so...this is pen-and-sword112 signing off until the end of this chappy...(i am so lame...)**

**Chapter 6:I Never Felt Fun Until Now **

Mikan walked about the Academy, with Ruka as a guide. He introduced every part of the vast school to her: the cafeteria, the classrooms, Central Town and the others, with Hotaru in a tow . Natsume, distraught over the Camellia flower event, walked slowly behind them **(unwilling if I might add)**.Everytime he looked at her, he swore he saw her eyes mocking him, saying, "I know it was you, Natsume."

Feigning amazement like a child introduced to the world anew, Mikan made a mental map of the Academy grounds. A spy needs to know her way around enemy territory of course. But something didn't add up. Was she enjoying herself for the first time ever? With no rifle practice, no harsh punishments and with people who thought her their friend, she felt fresh and reborn. Her happiness with Ruka, Hotaru and Natsume seemed all too familiar. Then it came: another migraine made its way into her nervous system.

She ignored the pain and kept on walking. Mochu and Yuu found the four of them and started chattering away with them. "Hey, Sakura," called out Mochu, "take this!" Behind them, piles and piles of swept up leaves sat. He levitated a few hundred of them and plopped them unto her. Leaves fell like rain on her.

Everyone fell laughing, except Natsume and his emotionless face. Even Hotaru giggled. This girl was exactly like Mikan: silly, girlish and childish.

She giggled and laughed like a spirited school girl because that was exactly what she was.

"You'll pay, Mochu," she said, a smile playing on her sweet lips. Natsume felt his heart catch with an uncertain feeling. Her eyes adopted its dull look and captured the mind of a boy nearby. It so happened the boy possessed the Alice of Strength. His unwilling arm punched the tree and the leaves shook its burden onto Mochu, causing a massive tidal wave of leaves.

All of them laughed at Mochu's predicament. Soon, all of them were throwing leaves at each other, using both physical strength and Alice like children from the Elementary Section.

They all had fun…until the teachers found them in the act. They were all made to clean up the mess they made.

As all of them worked to clean up, they joked, laughed played, earning themselves disapproving glared from the teachers.

Night was near as they made their way back to the cafeteria for dinner. Chatter and jokes were their symphony. Something was changed in Mikan on that night; a childish façade she never knew she possessed. Even Natsume smiled a little.**(A/N: Might I add that his smiles are MICROSCOPIC!!!) **

--,--,--,--,--,--,--,--,--,--,--,--,--,--,--,--,

Kayo Aori and Rio watched through the window of the cafeteria while standing on a branch of a huge oak tree. They saw their 'little one' laugh and talk like the teenager she was supposed to be. "Every winter mist become a spring sometime," mused Rio.

"Yes, but this is an enemy territory and this is one winter we cannot afford to turn warm," she snarled.

--,--,--,--,--,--,--,--,--,--,--,--,--,--,

Mikan lay on her bed that night. Her Alice Control devices sat on the bed next to her. They were pretty much useless since her Alice was more powerful than them. It had already relinquished the power the devices had on a student. But she wore them to not arouse any suspicions.

Natsume was already showing signs of revealing her identity as Agent Guardian.

Now, her flashes of images came more frequently. Painful and sorrowful, heavenly and happily, blissful and cruel at the same time.

"I just want to go home," she whispered, silent tears trailing down her face, "wherever that is…"

The night went on, crying and sleeping forms in every corner…

**A/N:okok...this is my shortest chappy but thats only because I needed an explanation for what is going to happen in chappy eight and nine...oo...i have goosebumps...okay...so...there is going to be some things that r VERY unxpected in here...(spoiler): a knighting by the Queen of England (my craziest idea...), a duchess and well...crying... so...i noe that my story is getting bad...i hate it too...but...i promise a soon ending...ok dokey...byeee!!! (Chappy 7:Condemned)**


	7. Chapter 7:Condemned

**Hey guys!!! i am gonna upload chappy 8 as soon as i get them into the com. okok??? Please dun throw stuff at me...i am an innocent girl...PLZ DUN KILL ME!!!!!!! okok...so...there is a lot of ... lately...i am running out on the stuff i wrote down...halp!!!! wah!!! okok...so i shouldnt cry...kidding...so...mikan is confused and Natsume is constantly thinking and no action (weird much???)...i am focusing only these two, along with Kayo Aori... ok...fun fact... i never noticed they provided the name of Mikan's actual mother...that is my curse...i dun pay attention...heheh...so...i already put it as Kayo Aori so i wont change it...but just to tell you...her real name is Yuka Azumi...lyk i noe you noe but its just fun to noe what i noe so that you noe i noe what you noe and so on...so...enjoy!!!**

**Chapter 7: Condemned **

Midnight's stroke on the huge clock tower echoes throughout the school's halls as a fleeting shadow quickly ran past the windows, quick as a cheetah, her footsteps barely touching the ground. Only the silent sound of pounding feet and the wind blowing was the only evidence of her presence.

The incompetent guards had gone fast asleep after she slipped a little parsley into their drinks. Now, the video cameras were also out of action as she crept through the Black Cat's open window.

In her leather glove, she held a slight dagger, a custom weapon and no less. A pink diamond in the shape of her mark, the Sakura blossom, gleamed on the hilt which was a complex Celtic design etched into the black/silver metal. She caught sight of a silver-framed picture on the nightstand.

Unfortunately for her, curiosity got in the way of her assassin instincts and she picked it up. It showed a picture of the Black Cat playing in the snow with a doppelganger of her. Images pushed themselves into her mind.

Pain ran all around her nervous system. Another migraine, more hurtful than ever. This time, voices rang: her own voice, childish and lovable, unlike her cold and sinfully attractive demeanour, the Black Cat's voice, happier and cheerful, also, with others such as Nogi and Imai. Why did it all seem so familiar?

Nevermind them for now…

There was work to be done….

She had a mission…..

She was going to finish it…

And go home…

Wherever that is…

She returned to the Black Cat.

He looked so innocent and peaceful. She was going to make sure he would stay like that forever. Mikan raised her knife over his heart.

_The Queen of Daggers._

That's what they called her at the AAO.

And she would live up to her name.

She reared back and went in for the killing strike but before she could stab him, a reprimanding voice yelled at her in a gibberish that seemed familiar. _No! Don't! _Tears began to pour down her face although no emotion was shown on her face.

Pain and sorrow from god-knows-where and an uncertain anguish mixed with the rage she felt. She brought the knife crashing down into a soft surface. Her slim figure slipped back through the window.

The wind carried her mind away into a welcome oblivion, her hand stained with blood.

--,--,--,--,--,--,--,--,--,--,--,--,--,

Natsume awoke and found himself staring at a bright light. _Sun light_, he thought, _resembles my little ray of sunshine_. He turned to his left and found himself staring at a silver object.

A silver knife with a twisting black and silver design protruded from the soft mattress, red blood of someone else spattered on the floor, the sheets and the window frame.

A pink diamond of a Sakura flower shone in the bright morning light…

--,--,--,--,--,--,--,--,--,

Five days after Mikan's arrival, she raced down the hall as her fan club of crazy, lovesick and deranged boys chased after her. They had been after her since eight that morning and they hadn't stopped, not even for a second. They just wanted to get their filthy, perverted hands-as she had described them to Ruka-on her. Saturday sun loomed into the corridor windows.

She couldn't take it anymore. As she ran outside, the Sakura tree sat there, welcoming her into its beckoning branches of safety. Running ahead of the boys, she swung up the branches of the tree and breathed quietly as the fan club broke into groups, in search of their idol.

Their screams of "Maybe she turned in here" and "I think I see her over there!" soon became distant and thankfully faint.

"I would have thought that all your years of training would have at least prepared you for those brats," a voice said. "You could have just kicked their butts and walked away."

Mikan didn't have to turn to see who it was. She knew Kayo Aori's unmistakably cold voice from a mile away as it rang in the fresh air, tainting it with its venom. "If you don't kill him, you'll never get home, you know."

"I know..."

She sat on the branch that grew on the opposite side of the tree where Mikan's branch came from. "Mikan…what went wrong last night?"

"I…I…don't know," she stammered. Kayo's eyes lifted in surprise. She never heard her cold protégé stammer before. "Before I could stab him, all these images of myself came rushing into my head. But I don't know how they got there. I never had those images in my mind before.

"There was that Imai girl, Nogi, other people from my classes and this shadow of someone that I seem to know. Nothing…nothing from these things makes any sense. Nothing…" She fell silent.

"Who is the shadow?"

"…"

"Mikan, who is the shadow?"

"I don't know," she whispered so she was inaudible.

"Agent Guardian, this is a higher officer ordering you to reveal the identity of this shadow!" she barked so loud, she could have put a jackhammer to shame.

"I don't know!" Mikan yelled. "I am telling you that I don't know about anything you are asking! My mind is like this can with holes. Once I get something from those images, they immediately empty out from those holes. I don't know who that shadow is! I don't know who the Black Cat is! I don't even know who I am!" She dissolved into quiet sobs.

"I just don't know…" she mumbled, slipping into silence. Her conscience rebelled with its counterpart, rendering her numb and half alert.

Kayo, on the other hand, had her mind whirring like crazy.

The potion's effect was wearing off and fast. The memories it had dispelled were returning with a vengeance. "Nevermind them for now," she said, her voice returning to its cold and calm volume. "You might have had them implanted by the Academy. It will clear off soon, as it should." Kayo moved into the tree's shadow. As her figure disappeared from sight, her voice still had its nagging effect on her.

"I want the Black Cat dead."

"And soon." Aori was gone, leaving Mikan in her broken condition.

Suddenly, to Mikan, the world seemed all the more confusing.

--,--,--,--,--,--,--,--,--,--,--,--,

A sketchpad sat in her hands. She had sat up the whole night drawing, sketching, shadowing and painting the pictures that had lingered and registered into her mind. Everywhere, sprawled all around her, pinned on the woody trees and set on the ground, one by one, she made them carefully, trying to decipher their meaning; each one different.

All these images were what she saw…

They didn't seem implanted. How could they be? They all seemed too real, too vivid…to familiar…

The only thing that connected most of them was a shadow of a boy, playing with her doppelganger.

Then, just as she thought all her pictures were sapped and plastered unto paper, another picture placed itself foremost of them.

A white cat mask.

Tibetan, Latin, Greek and Old Norse marking were etched unto the pure surface. Words of power. She had studied dead languages and she understood what they meant.

For the first time in her life, she didn't trust her mother completely…

Covering her face in her hands, she pleaded with God to just smite her there and then. Her hand, cut from the knife, shook with the everlasting pain. This one…this one she had healed but her own blood could not be washed off. Was this…a curse she was meant to endure? A curse that she was meant to go through because she couldn't finish what she was set to do.

_Bury your head_, she thought. The words soothed her but the pain was there, hiding behind the trees in the forest of her mind.

"What's happening to me?" she whispered. Her inner devils came to carry her consciousness to destruction. _You're turning into a traitor…betraying everyone. Everything you had, you will lose._

Cold droplets streamed down her face, freezing with her soul.

--,--,--,--,--,--,--,

Natsume watched as Sakura stumbled out of an invisible clearing, ambling about like a lost child, her eyes dull and almost dead. He didn't follow her. Instead, he walked to where she had stumbled from.

The clearing was a sight!

Everywhere, there were pictures, some of them hauntingly familiar and some making no sense. Had Sakura painted these? There it was…the picture that sat in his silver frame, on his nightstand.

Him and her playing in the snow. The scene was familiar…but only his silhouette showed. A black figure, no trace of his raven locks or his scarlet irises. Half the paintings were of memories he shared with Mikan but none of them held Sakura's face.

How did she get these memories? She was Sakura Sakamoto…or was she Mikan Sakura?

--,--,--,--,--,--,--,--,--,--,--,--,--,--,--,

_Where am I_? she wondered.

Mikan had stumbled around aimlessly and now she found herself in what seemed like a music room. A grand piano sat in a far off corner, forgotten in the night. Sitting on the stool, she played a song she knew from once upon a time…a once upon a time she did remember…

--,--,--,--,--,--,--,--,--,--,--,--,--,--,--,

Natsume strolled along the corridor in the Theatre and Arts building. The knife he had found was sitting at the bottom of his pocket. All the blood there was the same as the hair he had found on the barrette. The results were the same.

Still…

What could he have hoped for? Mikan to suddenly waltz in from the spirit world or goodness-knows-where and give him a hug? He was dreaming of the completely impossible. But he still had to learn that in the Alice Academy…nothing was ever impossible.

Just then, hauntingly mesmerising music came from the Mozart Music room. The occupant was playing a tune that brought painful reminisces.

_Making my way downtown,_

_Walking fast, faces passed, and I'm homebound._

_So staring blankly ahead, just making my way,_

_Through the crowd…_

A sweet voice that could only belong to one person lilted from the room. He slid the door open quietly. He saw a single figure sitting on the seat. She didn't notice his presence.

Right then and there, he swore by his enflamed heart, that he saw crystalline tears fall from his Mikan's face.

**A/N: okok so...i realy cant take so much pressure...my 'rents want me to go sleep now so i am signing off! so...until later!!! Adieu!! next chappy comimg...Chapter 8: Disguised Coincidence...dun dun dun!!!! okay...bye!!!!!**


	8. Chapter 8:Diguised Coincidence

**ok...ok...I changed chappy 11 so now...hallelujah people, we have a longer story!!!!WHOOOO!!!! i think... okok...so after reading my reviwe from crazygirl8 (thnx so much!!!) I have decided to carefully check my story b4 sending it...so all you gramer freaks out there can read with ease...funny though...haha...ok so...ever find it funny that in every story...there is at least one concert, or dance, or singing by Mikan??? weird huh??? hehe...i guess us writers are weird that way...must be a common way to make things exciting...hehe...so...enjoy!!!**

**Disclaimer: ok so...i havent done this before so...i dont own Gakuen Alice...i guess that was simple enough...**

**Chapter 8: Disguised Coincidence**

The flame caster strolled through Central Town with Hotaru and Ruka. Ruka was accompanying Hotaru to buy a dress for the upcoming Summer Festival the Academy held every first week of June. Ruka had brought- _ahem...dragged_ -him along so that the fire charmer wouldn't rot to death in some corner, waiting to be reunited with Mikan.

Just as they neared Hotaru's favourite boutique, Sakura Sakamoto ran down the path, a hoard of fanboys after her again. "The princess is here," Hotaru drawled.

What Natsume had discovered in the clearing had placed him in the shoes of a jealous flame caster. _No one touches my Mikan_. The cool atmosphere of Central Town started to heat up. Those bakas, he thought_. If they touch a single strand of her hair…I'm gonna…_

Soon, one-by-one, the boys ran back up the path, various body parts alit with flames. The animal lover and cold inventor (not to mention a few hundred other students) turned to stare at Natsume with incredulous eyes.

The flame caster just shrugged. But at the back of their minds, they knew something was up.

--,--,--,--,--,--,--,--,--,--,--,

She dashed down a dark and damp alleyway, unsure if the boys were still after her. She pulled the open the nearest store door and dashed into the shop. Breathing hard, Mikan looked around the shop she found herself in. A tailor's shop.

Surrounding her, miles and miles of beautiful fabrics were hanging. Everywhere, she saw sequins, beautiful colours and prints. Then, an idea snapped into her head. If she couldn't risk going outside to buy her dress, maybe she could make her own in this shop.

No one would suspect that pretty Sakura would be in a dreary alley, making her dress. She hurried to the back of the shop in search of the tailor.

--,--,--,--,--,--,--,--,--,

Hours later, when night had fallen and it the time for the Summer Festival was only two days away, Mikan's fleeting shadow left the tailor's shop. She confirmed a promise to the tailor to return the next day.

As she walked down the road, a dark figure moved into the light. Rio, clearly visibly smirking, made Mikan stop in her tracks.

"A supposedly cold assassin turned teenager? What happened to the killing machine the AAO trained?" he said mockingly. "Such a waste…"

Her eyes took on a gleam. She just kept on walking. "Ignoring me, Mikan? You know you have to finish your mission sometime soon. You aren't compatible with this…Academy lifestyle." He spat out the word 'Academy'. It was common knowledge that Rio despised the Academy. "Plus, you know what happens to traitors and agents who don't complete missions. I think Aori drilled you enough on that particular subject."

Mikan stopped walking. As much as she tried to deny it, she knew it was the truth: she was getting attached to the Academy's safe haven of a school. The routine of having friends, learning things, having fun and laughing for trivial reasons was so appealing, Mikan didn't know if she had the heart to kill the Black Cat, finish her mission and tear herself away to return to the training lifestyle of the AAO's cruel trainers.

_Natsume Hyuuga. _

The crimson eyed teenager was like this barrier between her and home…wherever that was.

She had never met someone like him. Someone who constantly sneered, glared and grunted but you could see in his scarlet orbs that some kind of compassion used to lie there not so long ago. Why couldn't she kill him? Why?? Why? Why? Why?

Because she didn't hate him truly. It was just an emotion Kayo had told her she had for him when she started training. Come to think of it, what happened before she started training? When she started her work, she was thirteen. What happened to the other twelve years of her life?

Another feeling lingered in her heart. A feeling she never knew the feeling of.

"What's your decision, Mikan?" Rio asked.

She returned to her stroll. "I'll give my answer to Aori after the Festival," she threw over her shoulder. "I want to see what a festival is like. And…and…just maybe I'll finish my mission soon. Just maybe… But I can't make any promises. At least…not anymore." She disappeared, the shadows of the night swallowing her up.

Aori jumped down from the branches of the trees. "I told you," she said. "The potion's effect is wearing thin. But only small bits of her memory will return. Without a Memory-Restoration Alice, she'll never remember anymore than torn pages from a story."

"But what will happen to our little assassin?"

"We wait. If she foils our next murder attempt, she'll be charged for treason against the AAO. And we all know what treason means."

"Yes…" Rio said. Over the years, Mikan had been like a kohai to him. She showed a cold attitude but when they were alone, they were friends. How long could that last?

--,--,--,--,--,--,--,--,--,--,--,

Two days en route to the Festival went by in routine. Sakura running through the Central Town, trying to escape her fanboys, Natsume, her guardian angel, turning up from nowhere and turning them into barbecue.

Sakura used this as a distraction to run up that secluded alleyway and turn into the tailor's shop. But as the tailor taught her how to stitch, sweat and crochet, Sakura's subconscious drifted to her late night talk with Rio.

What was she going to do?

As the day of the Summer Festival arrived, Mikan found herself sitting under the Sakura Tree. That morning, flashing images had attacked her mind again.

"What are you doing her, princess?" a soft voice with an awkward edge asked. Mikan looked up and found herself staring into the eyes of Natsume Hyuuga. She restrained the urge to kill him and be off home…wherever that was.

Something, she didn't know what, was telling her that if she killed him, she'd regret it for the rest of her miserably icy life.

"Oh," she said, almost a whisper. "It's you, Natsume." She turned her attention back to the clouds that floated in the perfect clear blue sky. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Already, princess," he replied sharply. This routine seemed all too familiar. "Anyway, your purple panties with the fairies…a bit childish don't you think?"

"Pervert," she snapped. He turned to look at her curiously. Only one girl called him a pervert. And she was long gone. " Fine," she said curtly, "I'll ask you two questions. One: do you like tangerines?" she queried, her face screwing up.

"Why do you ask?"

"I don't know, honestly. It just…something just occurred to me that you like that particular fruit. To be frank…the thought just popped into my head. Lately, I've been having these weird voices telling me that you like tangerines. I thought one of the boys said something about it but I just ant put my finer on it."

"Question two?"

"Hey, you haven't answered my…"

"Question two, or I walk away."

"Fine," she said, pouting." Pink stated to crawl into her porcelain cheeks. "Are you going to the festival with anyone?"

"Hn," he grunted. "Why? You asking me or something?"

"Hmm," she mused. "Maybe I am…maybe I'm not? Who knows really?" She rose and gave that heart-stopping smile. "I'll be there…I think….bye Natsume. This might be the last time I see you for sometime." That last sentence was less than a whisper. Then, she was gone.

"Maybe I'll be there too…Mikan," he mumbled.

**A/N: hi again!!!! so...didcha like it????? hehe...so...tel me...k? you better or i'll be hurt...so...Mikan is now at a crossroads: follow the AAO orders of drop everything and remember the life she used to have...what will she choose?? ooo...so...until next time...adieu! Chapter to come...chapter 9: Under the Stars and In the Line of Music..**


	9. Chapter 9:Under the Stars

**Heyhey!!! here is chappy nine juz for you!!! i dedicate this personally to DearJulie!! thank you for the sequel of Two Quarter and A Heart Down!!!! PLZ upload sooN!!!!! okok...so...sorry i havent uploaded in so long. but i am suntimes very lazy and lazy to type it all down...hehe...so enjoy!!1 **

**Chapter 9: Under the Stars and In the Line of Fire**

As expected, Natsume was swarmed by his never-far-away fan club. Girls vied for his attention as they would vie for a pair of special, limited addition Gucci boots. (Well…I would…)

But the flame master only had eyes for one girl. And she was late. No surprise there.

But she wasn't late on accidental reasons. A long cloak hid her dress from sight. She stared at her reflection, deciding if she was doing the right thing, venturing to the Festival. She had only one other choice. But it still led to the same end.

She could live a dream of a life, running across countries and seeing places she only dreamed about. But then, she could choose a life of hardship, searching for what she has lost, with her friends by her side…and Kayo Aori constantly chasing them, threatening death on those she loved…

Mikan. What happened to you? She became friendlier, and now, her mission felt like a far-off dream. Was it? The tailor's door closed. Her mind was made up.

--,--,--,--,--,--,--,--,

Swarms of boys crowded around Sakura's form. She wore a dress that Hotaru, Ruka and Natsume swore they had seen before.

A white dress, elegant with a flowing skit, was traced with embroidered gold and pink cherry blossoms. The filigree straps held the dress to her shoulders. Her hair cascaded onto her shoulders. Natsume made sure that his jaw didn't just crash to the ground.

As the first song started up, the fanboy and fangirl groups expanded tenfold. The boys were practically grabbing at Sakura's dress while the girls shrieked after Natsume. Swallowing his pride, Natsume did the one thing he would never have had the courage to do again. _Goodbye reputation, so long pride, sayonara image. _

_This is for Mikan, Natsume. Deal with it. _

He pushed through the crowd of girls and shoved the fanboys aside. Awkwardly, he held out his hand to her. Sakura's amethyst eyes widened in surprise.

"Uh, um, would you…uh…like to…ahem…dance?" he stammered. _Good move, baka! Stammering will bring her back for sure._

Sakura just stared at the flame caster, eyes wide, incredulous at the boy's actions.

She was having an abusively hard time breathing.

"Hurry up, will ya?" he hissed. "Looking like a moron here."

"That's because you are one," she whispered. She turned to him, looking at him in full. "Uh, yea, Natsume, I will," she announced, loud enough for a huge groan to erupt from the fan clubs. As soon as they touched, their hands knew each other like a lost sibling…or a lost lover.

Behind the scenes, Narumi and Serina watched. "Mikan sure has changed," mused Narumi. "If it wasn't for your Sight Alice, I would have never known and maybe…maybe Natsume would be dead by now."

"No," contradicted Serina. "Even if I didn't realize her true identity, she wouldn't be able to kill him. As you can see, she loves him too much. Too much for her own good. But I knew someday this Alice of mine would come in handy for something outside spying on the children."

Narumi chuckled and flipped a switch on the DJ stand. A familiar dong came on. "Those two will have a long way to go before paradise," he thought.

--,--,--,--,--,--,--,

Sakura and Natsume stiffened when they heard what came on from the speakers.

_Making my way downtown,_

_Walking fast, faces past,_

_And I'm homebound._

Both of them moves slowly, synchronized and with feeble attempts to not meet each other's eyes. Something, a long forgotten verse maybe, chimed silently in Sakura's mind. Countless portraits like in a gallery, pushed themselves through the barricades of her mind: dances, children playing, a Black Cat mask and, foremost of all, the Sakura tree.

Her ankle gave out and she tripped, pulling herself from her reverie. She braced herself for the impact of the cold stone floor. But instead, warm arms caught her in their almost loving embrace. "I've got you, always," his warm breath tickling her. "You're never alone, you know? Mikan…are you alright?"

"I'm not Mikan," she whispered back.

"I know," he replied, softly. "You're not Mikan. You're _my_ Mikan."

She looked up to meet his blood-red eyes but instead, an icy stare met her gaze. _Kayo Aori_. She would never forget those cold orbs that always made her stiffen up and obey the orders laid in front of her. In her hand, was Sabre, her best friend and right hand helper; a miniature dagger that could kill a person with one blow…if that person wasn't like Mikan.

Aori drew back and hurled the dagger towards the spot in between Natsume's shoulder blades. _Take his pain!_ She whirled around in a dance stance and instead, the dagger plunged silently into her arm. She suppressed a gasp and death that was leering close.

"Natsume," she whispered. Her finger traced his features lightly. "I know you from somewhere." Just as he had seen her four years ago, her hair dispersed back to their original hair colour and her amethyst eyes darkened to the shade of chocolate.

Small parts of the images that had imbedded themselves into her mind, started to fall into place like a novel. Natsume, at that time, became the person that knew her best all over again. "Don't look for me," she told him quietly. She pulled the knife out stealthily from her arm, wincing in pain. She looked up and met Natsume's concerned eyes.

She smiled at him and turned. She sprinted towards the forest that edged the dancing grounds, blood trailing behind her like water. Natsume took a few moments to fathom what had just happened in front of him, oblivious to the fact that people had noticed what they were doing and were whispering and pointing.

Natsume just took off after Mikan.

**A/N: Hihih!!! so...was it ok? i hope it wasnt too short...for some reason all my chappys are short...hmm...gotta do something about that...so... as a confession...i am horrible at writing cliffhangers...hehe...so...i have about...eh...five more chappies to go...haha...oya...i have a sequel coming soon...haha...so look forward to it!!! bye!!! Chapter 10:The Painful Remininice **


	10. Chapter 10:Painful Reminisce

**HELOOO!!! time to read the end of their blissful night...haiz...time is so...painful yet heealing...so... i finished the whole story on paper and am working on the sequel: I Lost You Once...oooo...i have goosebumps...so...get cracking!!!(I sound like Oliver Pettigrew...)**

**Chapter 10: The Painful Reminisce **

She moved like lightning, despite the long skirt that was now being shredded by thorny bushes and wounded arm. Quickly, she made her way towards the Academy gates. Aori would be hot on her tracks and after her for her betrayal.

"Please be careful, Natsume," she whispered to no one. "Take care of our friends while I am not here and maybe…maybe someday I'll come home, look all of you in the eye and say that I remember you." Kayo Aori now stood in front of her, holding a gun to her forehead.

Sweat trickled down her forehead. "To think," she snarled. "I trained a little traitor." She readied the gun for her shot. "I can't believe this is happening. I am aiming a gun at my best student, my only daughter." If a real mother said those words, there would be tears. But all there was were empty eyes, cold as a glacier. "We had one chance, one opportunity to kill the Black Cat and you choose now to grow a conscience!"

"Don't see why she wouldn't betray you," a voice said from the shadows. Natsume's lithe figure was brought forth into the light. "After all, you threw her off a cliff." Mikan's head swirled so fast that she looked as though she had swivelled the whole one hundred and thirty degrees.

"You did what?" she yelled, forgetting the pain for a second. Then, with a vengeance, it sent a flash of pain up her nervous system.

"You broke her heart," Aori retorted like a six year old.

"You memory wiped her," he said wearily.

"You made her worried and cry," Aori snapped.

They went on like that until Mikan's head was whirling with confused thoughts and pain-inducing images. Were they hers? Or were they implanted by the Academy? How could they be? They were all too vivid…too familiar…too…precious… Everything was so confused and mixed-up that reality seemed to blend with make-believe, until…

"Shut up!" she yelled, her voice raising itself tenfold and echoing throughout the whole school. Somewhere deep down inside her, a powerful strength awakened itself. Dark tendrils made up of despair and hopelessness, erupted from her fingertips and enveloped the Academy in its grasp.

Every Alice, powerful, weak, special and ordinary was nullified. Every child screaming as the tendrils curled around the grounds, wrapping the huge school in darkness. Natsume could no longer call upon fire, Ruka couldn't understand the words the animals spoke, Hotaru's innovative mind was blank and Yuu's illusions became a dream.

Five other tendrils attacked Aori full on. They smacked, slapped, kicked, punched and crushed her, nullifying all her power, rendering her powerless. The AAO head collapsed to the ground, unconsciously defenceless. Mikan's Teleporting Alice, the same that had saved Natsume all those years ago, now rescued Aori. The Alice sent her back to Rio, to rot in some hospital bed.

When Natsume's fire returned, he found Mikan clutching her sides, sobbing her faults, denying, denying, denying that she was a traitor. "No…no…no…I'm not a murderer…no…I never killed anyone…I never…betrayed anyone…no…it isn't true…." She was crying her eyes out.

They dropped meaninglessly on the ground, echoing her shattered memories that she may never regain. Never find again…never reminisce…never love…never…never…never…

Natsume held her close as though if she were to let go of her, the whole world would vanish in a second. Much like she did four years ago. "I missed you so much," he whispered into her hair.

"I missed you too," she whispered. "I think." He looked at her, eyes reflecting all those lonely and empty years. "I don't remember."

"You do," he said softly, desperation shining through. "You-you remember Ho-hotaru, and…and Ruka…and Yuu and…Permy…and…and…me…."

She shook her head. "Please…you have to remember me…you have to…cause if you don't…I don't know what I'll do," his voice shaking.

"I am so sorry," she whispered. "I've tried but every time I try to think about it, my head pounds. But…there is something inside me…telling me that…that…I…I…I am so sorry. But the Mikan you knew…I don't know if I'm still her. But I have to leave." She looked away but Natsume cupped her cheek and made her face him.

"Why?" he said angrily. "To leave me again?" He had tears brimming in his eyes. Imagine that: Natsume Hyuuga, crying. "Do you have any idea how many years, how many nights I spent crying, praying that you weren't dead and you were just hiding…playing a game of Hide and Seek? My heart flew back together when I saw you again. Why? Why do you want to make me go through all that pain again?"

"I'm sorry. But I have to."

"Tell me the reason why!"

"Because Aori wanted me to kill you," she explained. "I was sent to the Academy, a mind-wiped drone. You are the only thing standing in the way of the AAO's victory; a barrier against an army of invaders. They want that barrier to fall. They want you dead, no matter who dies and who kills."

Her words ended there replaced by the dreadful tears she tried to stop from flowing and end. "But…when my knife was above you…I couldn't bring myself to stab you. Something…this horrible yet wonderful voice, so sad and…remindful…stopped me. Like a me from once upon a time. If I don't kill you, Aori will kill us both. But if I can run…you can live. I don't know what to do…."

Natsume digested this information and heaved a sigh. He cupped her face again and pulled her near. "I wouldn't give you up or the world," he whispered.

Slowly, their lips collided. Hungrily, he kissed her, savouring her, quenching his long and arduous thirst for her. Four years had sucked his spirit since her 'death'. He was collecting what had been owed to him for years. When he finally let her up for air, her arms were intertwined around his neck and she was breathing hard.

That was bliss.

"I think I know what I felt in the past," she whispered. "I can't let you die."

"Yes. Yes you can." Natsume stood at arm's length from her and handed her a familiar dagger, a pink diamond in the shape of a Sakura flower on the hilt. "I found this in my bed a few nights ago. An assassin tried to kill me, but it looks like she didn't have the heart. But, you have the chance now. Kill me…and maybe you'll get your life back."

As he held out the knife, she backed away from his proposition. "No! No, no, no! Even if I wanted to, I couldn't. My heart won't let me. I forgot too many things, no make that everything but my heart remembers. And even if I did kill you, I will never get my life back. Aori will make sure of that. She'll never let me go."

"You forgot many things," he said, pleading in his voice, "your friends, your family, the Academy. You even forgot me… I want you to remember all those things again…even if I'm not a part of them anymore."

"But I want you to be a part of them," she said, tears threatening to fall.

"Please," he begged. "Forget your feelings and your memories of me. Erase me from your heart and your thoughts. Please…make your heart forget me…."

"I…I…can't…."

"Why?!" he shouted.

His frustration melted when he saw those pearly droplets stream down her cheeks. "You see, I can only make you cry. I can't bring you any happiness. Please…forget me and get your life back."

"I can't forget you," she whispered through all the tears, "because I don't want to forget you all over again. I forgot about you for the past four years. I don't want to lose you again. I don't remember you completely…but I know the old me would have told you…that…I love you. That's why I am going to keep running."

"But you can't run forever," he argued.

"You're right," she said. "At least not forever. But…I'll return about a year, that much I swear." She stood, wincing, and started to leave. He caught hold of her wrist and pulled her into his warm embrace, his lips kissing her own.

"I won't let you," he whispered, leaning his forehead on hers.

"You have to. And you're going to. Whether you like it or not," she said softly and his world darkened.

--,--,--,--,--,--,--,--,--,

When light returned to his world, she was gone…again. It had been scarcely a month since she came back from the dead. Now, she was gone, fleeting and silent. He had let let her slip through his fingers again. On the ground, two things lay there: a blood-red necklace in the shape of a Sakura flower and her silver dagger, its silvery sheen replaced by crystal tears.

On the back of the necklace, new etchings were found. They read:

I will never forget you again.

I would walk a thousand miles,

Just to see you again…

A promise. Would she really return in a year? Who knows really? Now, he only had the dagger, her necklace and her memories to keep him moving on.

**A/N: Okok...so...didcha like it?? plz send review if you do...and do you know everytime i get a new review...i get all giddy and lightheaded! haha...so...have fun and keep reading!!!! Chapter 11: Consequence**


	11. Chapter 11:Consequence

**Hey guys!! So sorry for the long yet not so long wait...hehe...so.,...what's been happening???? well...bye bye mikan and hello tom and jerry(if you know what i mean) Thnx for all the reviews!! it has been a pleasure writing for you guys!! so...as we continue with their lives...i hope you guys will send in more reviews cos whenever i get reviews, i get this tingly feeling in me gut!! haha...so... it goes on (warning:contains very heaty moment...not) **

**Chapter 11: Consequence **

**I:**

Time passed slowly. Summer turned to autumn, bringing with it sadness as deep as the ocean. Students (mostly the boys) wondered where their lovely Sakura had disappeared to. Narumi told them that she had gone to see her fatally ill grandfather. Deciding to take care of him for the rest of his days, she had transferred to the Parisian Academy branch. Much to the boys' disappointment and the girls' delight. Rumours were circling that the 'Sakura Sakamoto' fan club was planning to break out and find their idol.

It was a lie of course. So much for stop telling lies. Natsume knew that all too well. And he would take that truth to the grave if he had to. But as time wore on, he began to doubt Mikan's promise. One by one, the days passed as the leaves began to fall from their branches that had been their home for two seasons.

Winter's cold breath swept into the Academy. Students found Mikan's grave smashed to bits, creating angry and hysterical sobs from all her close friends. The surrounding trees all had the same message carved into their trunks: Mikan Sakura is not dead. The investigators would have found the culprit…had they bothered to check under the brush that hid the scorch marks from sight.

Wearily, Natsume waited and waited and waited; counting the seconds, minutes, hours, days and nights that she wasn't safely in his protective embrace. Day for day, word for word. But no luck. Until six months later…

---,--,--,--,--,--,--,--,

**II:**

**Mikan's P.O.V. **

I can't keep my promise. At least not properly. I stood in front of the Black Cat's window, fighting with my final decision. Finally, I remembered them all. Hotaru, Ruka, Anna, Koko, Nonoko, Mochu, even Sumire. But most precious of all, Natsume. _Thanks to my friend standing guard and waiting for me outside of the Academy gates._

Using a hair clip, I opened the window. He wasn't in bed. Must be on one of those blasted missions! Was he still going on them? Of course he was. He might still be as stubborn as he always was. What am I saying? Might? More like always will be!

Sighing, I gave up. This might be the last time I could escape from Kayo Aori's manic game of tag. As I moved to etch my presence into the room, a pair of strong arms encircled me from behind, erecting a gasp from my mouth. I was in my beloved Black Cat's arms…and I remembered him.

"Caught you, assassin," he whispered. "Made it back in time eh, Polkadots?" he chuckled. I breathed in his scent, savouring his company. It had been far too long.

**Normal P.O.V. **

He slammed Mikan against the cream coloured wall and began kissing her feverishly. Their tongues were like wildcats as they started a battle, trying to melt into each other, blending into one being, their love surging strongly.

"You're early," he whispered before starting to place love bites, butterfly kisses and other whatnots along her neck and jaw line. A soft moan erected itself from her lips. "It's only been half a year. Something must be wrong."

"Can't a girl visit her friend because she misses him?"

"A girl can. But you aren't an ordinary girl, Mikan. Far from it. Am I just a friend to you?"

"'Course not. You're a pervert I happened to fall in love with."

He smirked and cuffed her into a passionate kiss, stopping their war. Carrying her to the bed bridal-style, he studied her outfit from the corner of his eye: a plain white top and a pair of black shorts. They were covered in grime and dirt. A jacket, black in colour, sat on the nearby floor.

He broke their kiss and locked her in an embrace that was sure to suffocate her. "I've missed you, baka." He breathed in her scent. Burying his face in her hair, he asked, "Where've you been?"

"You don't need to know that."

"Baka," he whispered. "When it concerns you, there's always a need to know." As he placed another passionate kiss on her cherry lips, he ran his hand under her shirt, touching places kids under ten do not need to know about yet.

Another moan escaped her mouth. "Tell me," he said his voice so low (like his baritone can get any lower!) that it made him sound so undeniably sexy.

"Unless you want to die, I can't tell you anything. But I'm with a friend," she said, as she lay there, gazing up into those ruby eyes that always made it hard to breathe.

"Is it a guy? Cause if it is, I'm gonna…"

"No need to elaborate," Mikan interrupted. "James is different. He just wants a friend. He's an orphan." His eyes searched her face which showed no emotion. The only thing that wasn't coloured black and white were her eyes which only poured out floods of one emotion: love. There was so much, Natsume felt himself drowning in the pools of chocolate he loved to the end of time.

"Why won't you let me come?"

"Because Kayo Aori is still after me. You have an actual life here. Friends, teachers and enemies. I used to have a life here. But…now…only you, James, the world and my memories are the only things I have left in my life. I wouldn't be surprised if Hotaru has a new bestfriend."

"If only you knew, polka," he thought. He lay down next to her under the sheets. She lay in the crook of his arm, her hands intertwined behind his neck. The flame caster pulled her near, warming her with his Fire Alice. How many cold nights had she spent hiding in the forest with James, trying to escape from Aori's tracking dogs? Countless. One thing rang clear and sorrowfully in her mind: there would never be another night like this, lying in each other's arms, giving each other's love and living without a murderer after you.

For Mikan Sakura, this was just another dream.

--,--,--,--,--,--,

Her Mind Communication Alice tingled in her mind. James was contacting her but she just didn't want to listen. _Mikan! Mikan! Answer! We have a red alarm emergency!_

The nullifier reluctantly opened her eyes. Her head was rested against Natsume's chest, ; her hand intertwined within his; his arm was wrapped around her petite frame, pulling her closer every time he felt her move, unwilling her to leave him again. Using her Intangible Alice, she passed through his loving grasp and grabbed the boots she had kicked off. Her hair was a mess and her lips and skin tingled where he had kissed her.

"Talk to me, James," she said, flipping out her cell phone.

"Kao Aori and Rio are approaching the Academy gates. I suggest you leave lover boy now and get here if you want to see the next sunrise," he snapped, annoyance and fear rising in his voice.

"Already there," she said. She turned off her cell and looked as Natsume longingly, as if to commit his face to memory. She would never forget him…never…. Her first love, her first kiss and her first enemy. Maybe they would never meet again…maybe they would. Who really knew? Certainly not Mikan.

From her jacket pocket, she pulled out a wad of enveloped letters, each one for the people she care for…and an entire five pages for him. She couldn't turn away. It just hurt too much. "It would hurt just as much if you don't turn away and leave him," she reprimanded herself.

Her silhouette disappeared through the window, leaving behind her Black Cat with her broken heart. Her heart would always be there: in the Academy, in Japan, with her friends…and with him.

**A/N: so...didcha like it? frankly...i dont think that went too well...i dunno if you guys REALLY like this story but...i just like typin...haha...so...i dedicate this chappy to crazygirl18 and hope that you will continue your golden reign...geezz...i'm getting old...haha...imagine...old at thirteen...haha...Chapter 12: Prerogative **


	12. Chapter 12:Prerogative

**Hey guys! from the moment i started the first word, i knew this story would be my favourite to write...but of course there's a problem. i noe what to write for the sequel but i dunno what to write for another totally different story...so for those who love gakuen alice, plz send in some ideas...like for instance Mikan tying the knot with some other guy whose NOT natsume...heh...sounds weird...so...i present the last chapter b4 the epilogue and the prologue for my sequel (line borrowed from DearJulie's absolutely fab. Two Quarters and a Heart Down...voila!! **

**I dedicate this chappy to my wonderful patron DearJulie...you really lightened up my day!! **

**Chapter 12: Prerogative**

"Kuso!" the flame caster cursed. He just awoke to find Mikan gone…again. "Kami-sama! Why are you doing this to me? I repent! For just one day, could she not go ghost on me and disappear?"

On the bed, a small note sat where she had lain. It read:

The cherry blossoms

Hide a secret

He ran, no, he flew to the Sakura tree. Everything was in place. But…wait. Where was the knot that he hid all his emotions is? Where was the hole where he constantly stored secrets no one but _her_ knew about? Instead, a small piece of wood shaped into a cork with a cherry blossom painted onto the front was fitted into the hole.

He pulled out the wooden cover and met with a wad of papers stuffed into it. Rain began to pour heavily.

--,--,--,--,--,--,--,

"You sure took your time," commented James as he and Mikan sat on a bullet train on the way to the airport. They were headed to Hokkaido to escape into the refuge of an old friend. "Geez, lover boy must have been sad to see you leave."

"Yea, must have," she whispered.

They left the comfort of the Academy and continued their chase.

--,--,--,--,--,

Hotaru glared at Natsume as he listlessly dropped a letter onto each of their friends' laps. He had this dull yet bright gleam in his eyes as he walked away. She heard surprised gasps echo from each of her friends.

She looked at the envelope. That curling handwriting, those heart-dotted 'i's. she dashed to the privacy of her lab to open the envelope.

--,--,--,--,--,--,--,

The moon never looked duller. Natsume watched as his memories played like the theatre, the stars as its actors. He tried to push her out of him mind. He had had enough. He was sick of worrying, sick of punching himself for what she did.

But he just couldn't.

He couldn't push her away…

He couldn't forget her…

He couldn't hate her…

He couldn't not love her…

He just couldn't.

_Why? _that little voice asked.

"Because I love her too much," he whispered. He remembered what the letter said. Five pages and she still thought he didn't love her. Baka.

_My dearest Natsume, _

_Nothing I write, would be able to tell you how I felt. I don't know if I can ever give you the happiness you deserve. Haha. Funny isn't it? Just eight years ago and you would be the one saying that. I hope you find what you are searching for. _

_Ever felt like there was something you could never have yet crave for? Well, I have. But, as you read on, I want you to make my wish come true. Please, forgive me, protect our friends…and smile. _

If only she knew he would crave for only one thing: her. Of course he would do anything in his power to ensure they would never be hurt. But what about her? Would she ever be protected?

Then, page four broke his heart.

_When James and I were hiding in Italy, I met this girl in a quiet bar. She seemed happy and sad at the same time. We talked as James went to buy some supplies and gradually became friends. _

_She told me this tale. Her oldest friend and one true love had gone to Germany for the next four years. She was happy for him. It seemed as though it was all well. Until her boyfriend's friend returned to Italy. He told her, that apart from his guy friends, her boyfriend was miserable. _

_She couldn't take it. She went to Germany and told him to let her go. She gave him up for his happiness. She sacrificed her happiness for his. She is happier now. So much more happier that she had given him up and let him live for himself. _

_So, I learned something important. I learned for those you love, you must sacrifice something. Everything comes at a price. _

_That's why Natsume, I…_

No, Mikan! No!

…_am…_

Don't say it! No!

…_giving…_

No! I wont listen!

…_you…_

Tell me you're lying!

…_up. _

She had given him up.

_Please. Find someone who can love you. Someone who can give you the happiness and the sunshine you always thought I was. Please. Do. And then…I'll be happy. _

_I will love you till they take my heart away. I will love you till the end of recorded time. I will love you till I die. I will love you…until I see the day the world ends. _

_Aishiteru. _

_Mikan. _

Enclosed in the envelope was a cd with their song. It would always be their song...always...never a doubt.

The paper was stained where her tears had smeared the ink. He would never forget her. Never. If he did, may he rot in the dungeons of hell. Maybe he would meet her again. Maybe he wouldn't. Who really knew? He didn't and maybe he never would.

--,--,--,--,--,--,--,

Over the few months leading up to graduation, messengers from all over the world, came surprisingly. Khalid from Saudi Arabia, Horace from England, Michael from Colorado and others, all victims of the AAO's climb for power and all rescued by his idiot.

They sent reports of Mikan, unbeknownst to the nullifier. Then, James came.

He was a young man of 21, handsome, chiselled features distorted by a scar on his right cheek. He stumbled out of nowhere, landing on Natsume. He had a charming British accent which, to no surprise, created a fan club right there.

"Hullo there. You must be this Hyuuga chap I keep hearing about," he said conversationally.

"Where's Mikan?" snarled Natsume, grabbing his collar.

"Easy there," he said. "We were in Paris, last I saw."

"Why did you leave her?"

"Leave her? Hah!" he said, his friendly voice becoming harsh and angry. "Blame that blasted Teleportation Alice and that sense of over-protectiveness of hers!" He crashed onto the ground. "We were fighting off some AAO cronies when I got cut on the arm. Mikan being the Mikan she is, she shoved me and teleported me here, obviously wasting her energy reserves."

"Baka."

"Idiot is right," he commented. He noticed the surprised look on Natsume's face. "She told me all about your relationship." He rose and dusted himself. "Well, must be off. Need to go find Xander." Then, the Brit was gone, walking down the path, headed towards the administrator's office.

--,--,--,--,--,--,--,

Much to the displeasure of Natsume and delight of the girls, James tagged around him every second he had. His Memory Manipulation Alice earned him the rights of a three star.

But, nothing was worse than what happened a month after his appearance. He disappeared. On the bed he occupied, they found a note addressed to Natsume. It said:

_Must be off, old chap. Found the whereabouts of the little girl. As slippery as an eel, she is. I promise to take care of her. Don't worry. _

_James. _

--,--,--,--,--,--,--,

Graduation.

The idea seemed far off and magical. They knew it would come one day and with it, it brought surprises. Koko, Yuu and Mochu all confessed their feelings respectively to Anna, Nonoko and Sumire. And Ruka proposed to Hotaru, planning their marriage to take place four years from then. She gave him one of her rare smiles.

The night before graduation seemed the shortest of them all. They partied like they never partied before. Natsume lounged about as fangirls begged him for the last time to marry them. But he would marry only one girl. And she was not there.

Then, as they walked to their dorms, the girls shrieked. A dead body dropped from the trees. Natsume would always remember the face of Mikan's mother, former murderer and the second in command of the AAO. Kayo Aori was terminated.

Something in the trees shifted. A shadow moved and revealed the dearly familiar face of their little baka. Her arm was covered in blood, her face splattered with dirt and water.

"Hey, guys," she said weakly. "Long time no see." Then, her world swirled and the last thing she saw and heard was Natsume's face streaking with tears and his silent cry of worry.

--,--,--,--,--,--,

Everything was barred on their request. How could he do this to her? He knew that if he let her stay, they were all sitting ducks. She had to escape. While she was in this prison of a hospital ward, they were at their graduation ceremony. She had to get out now. Rio was most likely on the way with worst things with him...like Hirai coming along.

She knew that Kayo Aori had arranged for another protégé to be trained in Africa in case something happened to her. Rumors had told her that this Hirai boy was dangerous. And he was as good a fighter as Mikan. She had to get out.

She began banging on windows. She slammed her fist against the glass pane. Not only did her arm sting but the glass sent off an electrical current, sending her flying across the room, leaving burn marks on her hands.

"Damn you Hotaru," she cursed. She pressed her hand to the floor, echoing for a way to release herself with her Intangible Alice. But the floor grew a marble hand that swept her off her feet literally! "Blast that Alice!" She prepared to kick the door with the martial arts she had perfected so many years ago but as she slammed her foot to the wood, a hand caught it, burning it with his Alice.

"Trying to escape, idiot?"

"Let go of my foot," she gritted. She spun around releasing herself from his burning grip. She made a move to dash out of the door but Natsume's trained grip caught her wrist and pulled her into a kiss that sent her to heaven.

"Please, Mikan," he whispered. "Please don't leave me. I can't move on without you." Tears began to well up in her eyes. "I am nothing without you here."

"I have to go," she sobbed. "Nothing, absolutely nothing the Academy can do can keep me from Rio. He's out for blood. And if they can track down Teppe Mori, we are all done for."

"Whose Teppe Mori?"

"A man with a very short, very rare, very dangerous, very evil and very one-chance-only Alice."

"What is it?"

"What can he do?"

"He can reenact the dead. Rio and Hirai are searching the world for him. They are trying to bring back Aori. And this time, she can't be killed."

"But why do you have to leave?"

"I have to find Teppe. And someone else. You don't need to know about her. The less you know, the better."

"I won't let you leave!"

"I don't need your permission," she said giving him a glare. "I'm just as old as you and I won't let her die!" 

"Whose 'her'?"

"You don't need to know."

Then, a buzzing grew in Natsume's ears. He saw the room tilt oddly. He heard the familiar ringing sound of a pheromone. A Voice Pheromone and a Human Pheromone. Practically impossible to resist. "You must let me go," she said, her voice so coy, sexy, sleek and persuasive. What man could resist? She kissed him lightly on the lips. "You'll go to sleep now, won't you?"

Natsume nodded dully and he fell asleep.

--,--,--,--,--,--,

Mikan looked back at the Academy for one last time. She turned her back on all she had known here and left the school.

**A/N: There it is! THE BIG TEN!! who knew it would be here so fast? anyway, i want to thank all you people out there who pushed me to complete this thing! this is NO.1 thing i have completed and am so proud of! Arigatou minna for those in Japan and Thank you to those who speak English!! So...one more chapter eh??? seems so...fantasy...haha...so get ready for the sequel's whose name escapes me...what to name it????? okok: ... Epilogue: Sister **


	13. Epilogue: Sister

**OKay guys...here it is...epilgue: Sister...the final chappy...i want to thnk all of you for all your reviews...they realy encouraged me to keep moving on and i finally completed my first ever fanfic!! lets give you all a hand!! clapclapclap...haha...so...the sequel eh? here...i am going to give a name...very spontaneous: Don't Want To Forget You Again 2: I Lost You Once...and here we gO!!!!**

**I dedicate this chapter to:**

**littledoggy**

**Shironeko-pyon**

**crazygirl18**

**DearJulie...and**

**Silent Sage**

**Epilogue: Sister**

Natsume Hyuuga stood on the Academy gates waiting for Hijiri Youichi to return from his sixteenth mission just as he had done all those years ago when a loud-mouthed brunette tried to gain entrance into the school to find her best friend. Hijiri Youichi now stood as the same thing Natsume was when he started out at the young age of eight.

Yes. Natsume Hyuuga was now the embodiment of Persona who had been assassinated a year ago. But he didn't believe the loathly teacher could be killed that easily. He was too powerful, too strong, too intelligent and too slippery to have been killed by a simple poisoning. He was out there. Waiting to return to the light.

But now, he didn't care for him. Let him burn Persona when he returned. Then, he thought of his Alice. He should have died years ago. But…as ray of sunshine brought him back from the brink of death. A simple country girl saved him from the death he was destined to take.

No. He wouldn't give up on searching for her. May it be to the end of the world, he would follow her and live with her just as he had promised. He would smile to no end and always, always love her. She brought him out of despair and entered the void in his place. Now, it was his turn to bring her back and keep both of them out of the dark grasps of the Alice War.

Eleven years since the day of her first mission. Seven years since the appearance of Sakura Sakamoto and then a month later, her disappearance. Six years since she came to see him one last time and let him out of her life to find his own happiness. Then, five years and seven months since their graduation and her reappearance.

Now, in the future…

One year since Persona's death.

Two years since Hotaru and Ruka's first child, Tamaki.

Three years since he became Japan's No.1 composer at nineteen. (who knew?)

And four years…four years…four years since he last saw Mikan.

When young and innocent Tamaki had been placed in his godfather's arms, Natsume had learned to smile anew. Like he hadn't stopped smiling since before he lost everything. He learned to smile on request and according to his emotions. He learned that also from a certain nullifier.

He also taught his students with the same judicial power and cold aloofness Persona had and he also showed while still a child. But, he added something of his own. Compassion and understanding. He didn't want the children to think they were being blackmailed into doing missions. He didn't want the pawns used by the Academy to feel like that was all they were: pawns. He didn't want them to feel alone and forgotten until the time for their work. Most of all, he didn't want them to suffer just as he had. He had gone through all that already. And he never wanted to feel that again.

Then, the Evil Spirit Alice appeared in the shadows of the moon. Hijiri's face was naturally pale and always shone with the same emotionless face he had when he was a child. His silvery eyes and hair were hauntingly beautiful and frightening. But this time, his face was reflecting an emotion which it rarely did. Confusion and determination set lines into his face.

"Onii-chan?" the sixteen year old asked. "Did onee-chan really die?"

Natsume's baffled face registered surprise. "Youichi, we told you everything we knew. Mikan is…not here."

"I don't know about that," he replied. From the shadow of the Academy gates, he dragged a girl of about fourteen out. She was bound by ghostly bindings and her face shone with immaculate anger.

Her face. She resembled someone he knew once. Her face was undeniably the same childish features, beginning to move into place. Her russet locks curled naturally, flowing down to her shoulders in waves. When this girl grew up, she would be incredibly beautiful. Just like _her_.

But, her eyes captured his attention. Her eyes were the color of emeralds. However, they had the same volumes of paradoxes, the same volume if unreadable feelings Mikan possessed. Cheerfulness and sadness all rolled into one.

"Mikan?" he whispered.

The girl smiled and then frowned. That smile. Uncannily identical. How?

"Mikan? My name is Hikari," she said, her voice melodic and sweet. "Mikan's my sister."

**A/N: wahh!!!! it all happened so fast!! i dun believe it...but plz dun kill me until you've read the sequel...you can expect some heavy guns and a lot of...eh...hot moments...haha...so here we meet Hikari Sakura: half sister to Mikan. She is as pretty as Mikan but she has emerald eyes, courtesy of her father whom we might meet in the sequel...so until next time, sayonara!! **


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